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Kelley, Sinclair and Heartsill all victorious in state Congressional races

By NICOLE WIEGAND NDN Staff Writer

Nov. 7, 2012

Following the 2012 redistricting of Iowa's House and Senate districts, three seats were up for grabs in yesterday's election for voters in Jasper County. Both State House positions, recently renamed Districts 29 and 29, in addition to the newly-created Senate District 14 were all on the line as voters headed to the polls Tuesday.

Democrat Dan Kelley was elected to his second term in the Iowa Congress in House District 29 over Republican Gabe Swersie with 9,518 votes to Swersie's 5,920.

Kelley, who grew up in and still resides in Newton, has served on the Newton Housing and Development Corporation Board and the Newton Board of REALTORS, among other local coalitions. He most recently served as ranking member on the House Administration and Regulation Budget Subcommittee as a representative in the former Iowa District 41, prior to this year's redistricting.

Kelley could not be reached for commentat time of press.

Swersie, a small business owner who grew up in Newton, served six years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. before pursuring the District 29 seat.

Swersie could not be reached for comment at time of press.

The State Representative race for Distict 28 found Republican Greg Heartsill victorious over Democrat Megan Suhr with 8,186 votes to Suhr's 6,543.

Heartsill, who is orginally from Salem, Iowa, is a member of National Federation of Independent Business, National Rifle Association, and Farm Bureau, and has served on the Central Committee of the Marion County Republicans for several years.

"I'm humbled and honored by the voters of House District 28. I'm truly honored by the election and grateful for this opportunity. This is something I've felt compelled to do not only for my future, but for the future of Iowa and my children's future, so I'm grateful to be given the opportunity to serve the state in this capacity. It's been an enormous effort and we've had so many dedicated volunteers who have donated time to this campaign, so this victory really belongs to them," Heartsill said.

Megan Suhr resides in Knoxville and works at the Iowa State Capitol, as the consumer advocate for a grassroots organization. Suhr could not be reached for comment at press time.

Republican Amy Sinclair won Iowa's State Senate seat in District 14 with 13,776 votes to Dick Schrad's 9,304, accounting for 59.7 percent and 40 percent of the vote, respectively.

Sinclair has served two terms on the Wayne County Board of Supervisors and lives on a farm near Allerton with her family. She has also served in leadership positions for the South Central Iowa Community Action Agency and Wayne County Farm Bureau, among other committees.

"We're pretty exited about the results coming in last night, it was a good solid victory which really speaks to the message I had out there promoting building the economy through agrilculture...and keeping government as local as we can, so I'm happy to move forward and serve the voters of Distict 14," Sinclair said.

Schrad, of Knoxville, has served as the Knoxville City Manager as well as the Economic Development Director for Preston, Iowa.

"It's been a great experience and I've met a lot of folks. Even though I didn't win, I have a deeper understanding of issues facing voters and I'll continue to stay involved in efforts to make their lives better. I hope these voters are well-represented in Des Moines and would like to thank the hundreds of supporters that worked for this campaign and the thousands that came out to vote for me," Schrad said.

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